Average Monthly Earnings from E-book?

[Paul]

I know this may be a tricky one, but some ball park figures of sales for say a fantasy novella of 25,000 words?

(Fictionwise doesn't give sales qtys and i'm not paying publishers lunch sub)

[veinglory]

It is a 'how long is a piece of strong' sort of question. My data relating to erotic romance ebooks is here: http://www.erecsite.com/index.html and publisher specific data here: http://www.erecsite.com/SALES.html

[Paul]

Thanks VG
Yes it is a bit of a 'string' thing. I'll check out those links now.
Thanks again

[Paul]

Wow
Thats pretty low sales figures. If you're doing well, top of the game, you might see $100 a year.


Actually maybe I'm not getting it. Copied the line below hope that's ok.

Ellora's Cave--972 copies (average data from 41 books) [updated Sep 26, 2009]

Does that mean each author sold 972 copies of their book on average - i.e that 972x41=total sales for Ellora's cave?

[veinglory]

Copies means books. And erotic ebooks probably sell better than most other genres. You make more by choosing a good press and writing more. Ebooks are often novella length.

[Paul]

I edited my previous post before you had a chance to respond. e - pub is ideal for novella length, but I'd kinda like to get a sense of appropriate expectations re sales before I get the champers in...

Actually maybe I'm not getting it. Copied the line below hope that's ok.

Ellora's Cave--972 copies (average data from 41 books) [updated Sep 26, 2009]

Does that mean each author sold 972 copies of their book on average - i.e that 972x41=total sales for Ellora's cave?

[veinglory]

It means that I have data for 41 books, which is a very small proportion of the books EC published so the avergae is only a 'ballpark' figure. The arithmetic mean of the sales figures reported for these 41 books is 972.

[Paul]

It means that I have data for 41 books, which is a very small proportion of the books EC published so the avergae is only a 'ballpark' figure. The arithmetic mean of the sales figures reported for these 41 books is 972.

Thanks for the reply VG but I have to confess to being pretty dumb at the math side of things.
So, in the sample given is EC's total sales 41x972, which equals 39,852? Which wouldn't be so bad...

:Shrug:

Actually, it has to be that. God I am dumb. :)

[Dee Carney]

Not to dash anyone's hopes here, but please keep in mind that Emily's data is given by authors who are willing to share their figures. Your mileage may vary; mine has--in both directions.

Also keep in mind that EC is the top erom ebook publisher. Using them as a guide for how well you will do, without actually being published by them, is probably not the best idea. Not saying it can't/won't happen, but you should use a healthy amount of skepticism in deciding to judge your sales against theirs.

Thats pretty low sales figures. If you're doing well, top of the game, you might see $100 a year. Um, no. I made more than $100 in a year on my worst selling book alone and I wouldn't consider myself even a mid-midlist author. At last count, I have around 20 or so releases (I don't keep up, honestly).

So, in the sample given is EC's total sales 41x972, which equals 39,852? Which wouldn't be so bad.

What the data is showing you is that 41 people (books) reported their sales figures. The average number of sales for those 41 books was 972. (Emily, please correct me if I'm wrong.) At roughly $2.00 royalties per book (totally made up number there; it could be higher or lower depending on the length of the book/your contract), you're looking at $1944 for that book. Most erom authors I know don't write one book and then stop. The best way to make sales is to write another book...If you have only 5 books out that year and make roughly $1944 in sales on each book, then you've made $9700 for the year.

[Paul]

Great post Dee/ Morgan :)

Well have to go - the movie 'Forty Year Old Virgin' is on. Finally a movie i can relate too... :D

[Paul]

Hmmm, perhaps I should have checked out the e-pub sites first....
Seems to be a slight emphasis on erotica.

Can barely put together a kissing scene meself...

[veinglory]

For fantasy the major one would probably be Double Dragon.

[Bushdoctor]

if you are just starting out then dont even worry about the money. you need to be focusing on building a loyal reader base. The money will come later

[DrZoidberg]

I haven't even made enough royalties to pay for the celebration dinner of being published. It was a mighty fine dinner.

[triceretops]

For the amount of time I've spent doing promo/marketing online at every venure I can, since day one of my e-book release, I might have sold six copies in three month's time. I rolled over the past two months, which means I did not make over $20.00 to qualify for a check. Disheartening, since I have received two minor five-star reviews, two online interviews, and have offered free chapters of said title on numerous sites.

What Emily has said time and time again, you can take to the bank. First, you need to be with one of the top five e-publishers in the world, and she lists them. Secondly, you need to write at least five e-books with that giant e-publisher, preferably many, many more to start seeing any substantial income. And there is a third, I'm sure she's already stated too; erotica is the genre that is pulling the big numbers in e-publishing right now.

FWIW...

Tri

[Bushdoctor]

That is soul destroying Triceretops!

[veinglory]

What Emily has said time and time again, you can take to the bank. First, you need to be with one of the top five e-publishers in the world, and she lists them. Secondly, you need to write at least five e-books with that giant e-publisher, preferably many, many more to start seeing any substantial income. And there is a third, I'm sure she's already stated too; erotica is the genre that is pulling the big numbers in e-publishing right now.

I would agree with, um, me. There are a small number of other ways to make money from ebooks (have a cult blog, write over-priced self help books, be a celebrity etc) but for most fiction writers this is the current state of the online nation.

[Lainey Bancroft]

Hmmm, perhaps I should have checked out the e-pub sites first....
Seems to be a slight emphasis on erotica.

Can barely put together a kissing scene meself...

There is a HUGE emphasis on erotic romance/erotica.

As Dee said, YMMV depending on number of releases, backlist with publisher etc. My 'mainstream steamy' releases are doing better now that I have a half dozen, but they are still not selling anywhere near as well as authors who have erotic/menage romances with the same publisher. (as in, less than half as many copies in most cases)

[DrZoidberg]

That is soul destroying Triceretops!

I wouldn't see it like that. Each time we come out with a new book, (assuming its good) our readers, if they liked it will also take a look at our back catalogue. If we have more books that catches the reader's fancy they will most likely buy our old books. This makes book sales exponential based on our back catalogue. But you need a back catalogue first. You got to build from somewhere.

I'm a nobody, and by the sound of it so is Triceratops. If he writes another, he might be mildly irrelevant. By the next book forgettable. Then worth keeping an eye on. Then an interesting fringe writer. Then an interesting mainstream writer. Then a name you can count on. Then an author you buy because of the name. Then a guy people read just so they won't come across as backward. And so on.

If he stops now and gives up, he'll never have a back catalogue. He'll never be able to make a living off it. Everybody has one good book inside of them. Few have several. Extremely few have many. That's why there's so few authors.

That's my theory at least, and the theory of my publisher. People who go from nowhere to best sellers are nearly always famous before they start writing. To escape my nobodiness I'm writing at full steam. I'm not letting my bad sales keep me down, and I don't think I should, and neither should Triceratops.

[veinglory]

I would note that I have now released my fifteenth ebook. In my case my sales increases with each title have been in line with genre averages (i.e. would have been similar if each book was my only book). My second release remains my best seller. YMMV.

[kdbeaar]

YMMV.

No...don't ask...don't ask, you'll look like an idiot...no...darn it, I have to...what is YMMV?

[DrZoidberg]

No...don't ask...don't ask, you'll look like an idiot...no...darn it, I have to...what is YMMV?

Yiddish Mothers with Moths in Vests. It's a very narrow niche.

[DrZoidberg]

I would note that I have now released my fifteenth ebook. In my case my sales increases with each title have been in line with genre averages (i.e. would have been similar if each book was my only book). My second release remains my best seller. YMMV.

Maybe it's genre specific. My published novel is erotica.

[veinglory]

No...don't ask...don't ask, you'll look like an idiot...no...darn it, I have to...what is YMMV?

'Your mileage may vary'. P.s. I write erotica too.

[CheekyWench]

No...don't ask...don't ask, you'll look like an idiot...no...darn it, I have to...what is YMMV?

Your mileage may vary :D

[Saskatoonistan]

I know this may be a tricky one, but some ball park figures of sales for say a fantasy novella of 25,000 words?

Not Mucking Fuch.

[8thSamurai]

In that genre (aside from YA) a longer word count isn't terrible, and what you have is considered a very long short story (yeah, it's confusing).

SFF novellas tend to start at around 40k words.

[veinglory]

I haven't published a new ebook in about a year and they still make me 100-200 dollars a month. However that is based on 15 titles, a couple of them novel length.

[MartinD]

Emily, are you averaging $10 a title or are the majority of your earnings coming from one or two books?

[veinglory]

It is very uneven. For me werewolves and vampires sell, elves and Englishmen do not. If I release something new it tends to make $1000 in the first month and decrease over 6-10 months to a background level. I make no particular effort to write hot topics and publish with some very small presses, so it is certainly possible to make a lot more than I do.

[KMTolan]

It is very uneven. For me werewolves and vampires sell, elves and Englishmen do not. If I release something new it tends to make $1000 in the first month

Looks at Veinglory, looks at last royalty check, looks at Veinglory, throws check in trash and vows to switch over to writing fantasy.

Kerry (grin)

[dclary]

I know it's not romance or fantasy, but I've found a small niche selling a how-to book for a facebook game. Crazy, right?

Currently averaging $250 a week in sales... Minus about $50 in expenses nets right about $200/weekly.


I think we're back at the "Your mileage may vary" point, though... there is so much anecdotal evidence in so many directions, that really, the only way to find out how much money you might make... is to go out there and start making it.

[Laurie PK]

Wow, I can't believe the range of both types of ebooks and earnings!

I earned $90 last month from Fire Up the Muse (9 sales). Not great, but I don't market it at all (other than posting the cover here and on my blogs).

Must...get...better...at....promotion.....